Canada Holiday - Whale-watching Holidays
If you want to see some of the world’s greatest mammals, then you’ve come to the right place. The fertile waters of Canada’s coastlines attract many types of whales. The west coast is home to orcas, minke and grey whales. The east coast has humpbacks, fin, right, sei, beluga and pilot whales.
Please scroll down the page to see our different whale-watching holidays.
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The orca is actually not a whale — it’s the largest member (up to 7 metres long) of the dolphin family. Orcas can live for almost 80 years and frequently live in pods of up to 30 members. Currently three pods live in the waters off Vancouver Island. The minke whale is the smallest member of the whale family, growing only to 10 metres long. It is also one of the shyest whales and rarely approaches boats.
The grey whale also lobtails, and "spyhops" (jumping clear of the water to see any above-water activity). The grey can grow up to 15 metres long and weigh over 35 tonnes. It’s well known for the 19,500 km round-trip between its northern feeding grounds in the Beaufort, Bering and Chukchi seas and its southern breeding grounds in Baja California and off the Korean coast. Primarily a bottom feeder, the grey whale can dive to a depth of 120 metres if necessary, but prefers much shallower water.
Humpback whales are known for their spectacular arching backflips and frequently "lobtail" (slap their tails on the surface) creating gunshotlike sounds. Humpbacks are also known for singing the longest and most complex songs in the animal kingdom. Highly inquisitive, these 15-metre-long mammals show little fear of boats despite having been heavily hunted. They are on the endangered species list with only an estimated 10,000 surviving world-wide.
The fin whale is the world’s second largest animal after the blue whale, growing up to 26 metres long and weighing up to 80 tonnes. A series of pleated grooves running from its chin to its navel enable the fin whale’s throat to expand during feeding to take in tonnes of food-laden water, which is then discarded through their baleen plates.
The right whale summers predominantly in the waters of Canada’s own Bay of Fundy. This rather stocky mammal reaches an average length of 17 metres and tends to swim near the surface, feeding on plankton. The right whale’s slow speed, finless back and V-shaped blow make it easy to spot and identify, although its small numbers — fewer than 300 in the North Atlantic — make it the most endangered whale in the world.
Sei whales are difficult to distinguish from fin whales and, like them, do not show their tail flukes when diving. However, their evenly-spaced, 10-foot blows and their hooked, 2-foot dorsal fins are clearly visible features. Averaging 17 metres in length, sei whales tend to travel and feed in family groups of 3 to 4 members.
The beluga whale most commonly inhabits arctic coastal waters in large groups but can also be seen in the bays and estuaries of large northern rivers, the St. Lawrence River among them. The beluga is easily identified by its small head, pronounced beak and characteristic frontal bulge ("melon"), as well as its stout body, finless back and creamy white skin.
The pilot whale usually travels in pods of 10 to 20 members, but is fairly regularly spotted in larger groups of up to 200. This long-finned whale is readily recognisable by its curved broad fin and its playful gregariousness. The search for its favourite food — the short-finned squid — brings the relatively small pilot whale into the coastal waters of Cape Breton.
The whalewatching adventures use a variety of boats, enabling you to travel quickly and comfortably to prime viewing sites. |
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Listed below are the holidays that were found.
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For further information about each itinerary, departure dates, prices and accommodation details please click on the title of the holiday.
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Montreal * Quebec City * Tadoussac * Carleton * Perce * Sainte Anne Des Monts * Rimouski * Trois RivieresVisit the historic cities of Montreal and Quebec and explore the magnificent coastline, landscapes and villages of the Gaspe Peninsula. This soft adventure fly drive holiday lets you discover part of one of Canada’s least visited and unspoilt destinations staying in boutique style and historic hotels. Enjoy whalewatching, river rafting, bear watching and several cruises.17 days from £1589 including flights.
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Toronto * Kingston * Montreal * Quebec City * Ottawa * Huntsville * Niagara FallsAn action-packed adventure fly-drive visiting some of the best sights of eastern Canada, combining scenic wonders, and ten interesting adventures with stays in historic cities including a hire car with "sat-nav". 17 days from £1816 including scheduled flights.
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Vancouver * Victoria * Whalewatching * Ucluelet * Whistler * Kamloops * Lake Louise * Banff * Calgary Explore Vancouver and Victoria, experience both a whale-watching cruise and a bear watching excursion before taking a leisurely drive through the mountainous scenery of Western Canada visiting several of the icon resorts of the Rockies. 16 days from £1799 inc. scheduled flights AND NO DROP CHARGE
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Calgary * Banff * Jasper * Rocky Mountaineer Train * Vancouver * VictoriaAn adventure tour offering the best of the Rockies including a tour to the Dinosaur Badlands, an Evening Wildlife Safari and White Water rafting, together with a rail journey on the famed Rocky Mountaineer to Vancouver plus whalewatching from Victoria on Vancouver Island. Hotels are based on "family-friendly suite" accomodation with kitchen facilities.14 days from £2041 including flights.
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Vancouver * Victoria * Tofino * Rocky Mountaineer Train * Jasper * Banff * CalgaryThis multi-centred holiday includes stays in both the spectacular city of Vancouver and stately Victoria, bear watching at Tofino and a marvellous rail journey through the Canadian Rocky Mountains. We have included a hire car in both Vancouver Island and the Rockies to enable you to explore to your heart’s content. 16 days from £2179, including flights.
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Vancouver * Victoria * Whalewatching * Tofino * Knight Inlet * ParksvilleExplore Vancouver and Victoria, experience both a whale-watching cruise and a bear watching excursion before flying to famous Knight Inlet to see the grizzly bears.
13 days from £2397 including scheduled flights.
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Campbell River * Knight Inlet * Vancouver * Rocky Mountaineer Train * Jasper * Banff * Calgary A superb multi-centre holiday including a floatplane trip to view spectacular wildlife such as grizzly bears and whales combined with the beautiful harbour city of Vancouver and a classic rail journey through the Rockies to Jasper. Car hire is included to give you the freedom to explore the National Parks of Jasper and Banff on your way to Calgary. 15 days from £2740 including scheduled flights.
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* Halifax * Lunenburg * Yarmouth * Digby * Wolfville* Tatamagouche * Margaree * Cabot Trail * Dundee/Arichat * Charlos Cove/Sherbrooke * Halifax *Enjoy a fly-drive holiday touring the charms and treasures of Nova Scotia.14 days from £1651 per person sharing twin including flights
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* Halifax * Lunenburg * Digby * Pictou * Baddeck * Louisbourg * Liscomb Mills * Halifax *Enjoy a short fly-drive holiday touring some of the highlights of Nova Scotia.8 days from £1184 per person sharing twin including flights
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* Halifax * Pictou * Baddeck * Cabot Trail * Louisbourg * Liscomb Mills * Halifax *A delightful fly-drive holiday touring Cape Breton and some of the highlights of Nova Scotia.8 days from £1148 per person sharing twin including flights
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For further information about each itinerary, departure dates, prices and accommodation details please click on the title of the holiday.
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C18 - Beautiful Canadian Rockies Fly-Drive 14 days from £1518 with NO DROP CHARGE.Click here for details.
Great Bear Lodge and Rockies Fly-Drive. 15 days from £2870 inc. flights and NO DROP CHARGE
C305 - Rockies Rail-Drive + Alaska Cruise - 18 days from £2266.Click here for details
ATOL: 6423